METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR VIRTUALIZING INDUSTRIAL VEHICLES TO AUTOMATE TASK EXECUTION IN A PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

• US 20120123614A1
• Filed: 11/17/2010
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Inro Technologies Limited
• Inventors: LAWS, MATTHEW EDWIN, SARGENT, GRANT ANDREW, COLLETT, TOBY HARTNOLL JOSHUA, GRAHAM, ANDREW EVAN, CHAMBERS, CHRISTOPHER JAMES, CHANDRASEKAR, KASHYAP, GOODE, CHRISTOPHER W., LUK, CHEONG HIM
• Application Number:
  US12/948,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20120123614A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/0755 Position control; Position detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4189 characterised by the transport system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31007 Floor plan, map stored in on-board computer of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40121 Trajectory planning in virtual space
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for virtualizing industrial vehicles to automate task execution in a physical environment is described. In one embodiment, the method includes determining input parameters for controlling vehicle hardware components, wherein the vehicle hardware components comprise actuators that are used to control hardware component operations, generating mappings between the input parameters and the hardware component operations, wherein each of the input parameters is applied to an actuator to perform an corresponding hardware component operation, correlating the mappings with vehicle commands to produce abstraction information and executing at least one task comprising various ones of the vehicle commands using the abstraction information.

Claims

1. A method of virtualizing industrial vehicles to automate task execution in a physical environment, comprising:

determining input parameters for controlling vehicle hardware components, wherein the vehicle hardware components comprise actuators that are used to control hardware component operations;

generating mappings between the input parameters and the hardware component operations, wherein each of the input parameters is applied to an actuator to perform an corresponding hardware component operation;

correlating the mappings with vehicle commands to produce abstraction information; and

executing at least one task comprising various ones of the vehicle commands using the abstraction information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the at least one task further comprises adjusting the input parameters based on measured vehicle responses associated with the task instruction execution.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein adjusting the input parameters based on measured vehicle responses further comprises modifying a vehicle behavior model using updated vehicle latency attributes associated with at least one of velocity commands or steering commands.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the at least one task further comprises converting the task into at least one compatible hardware component operation that is performed in the industrial vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the input parameters further comprises combining multiple laser scans of the physical environment to create a single laser scan.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the input parameters further comprises comparing an expected vehicle response with a measured vehicle response to determine a voltage for performing at least one of the hardware component operations.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the input parameters further comprising:

applying a voltage to at least one of the vehicle hardware components;

examining sensor array data associated with vehicle movement;

comparing the sensor array data with an expected vehicle response; and

adjusting the voltage based on the comparing step.

8. The method of claim 7 repeating the applying step, the examining step, the comparing step and the adjusting step to calibrate the voltage.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the at least one task further comprising:

identifying compatible hardware component operations for performing the various ones of the vehicle commands; and

communicating at least one of the input parameters associated with the compatible component operations to at least one corresponding hardware component.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the at least one task further comprises freezing industrial vehicle movement and switching industrial vehicle control to manual mode in response to a power failure.

11. A computer-readable-storage medium comprising one or more processor-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to:

determine input parameters for controlling vehicle hardware components, wherein the vehicle hardware components comprise actuators that are used to control hardware component operations;

generate mappings between the input parameters and the hardware component operations, wherein each of the input parameters is applied to an actuator to perform an corresponding hardware component operation; and

correlate the mappings with vehicle commands to produce abstraction information, wherein the abstraction information is used to execute at least one task comprising various ones of the vehicle commands.

12. The computer-readable-storage medium of claim 11 further comprising one or more processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to:

apply a voltage to at least one of the vehicle hardware components;

examine sensor array data associated with vehicle movement; and

compare the sensor array data with an expected vehicle response to adjust the voltage.

13. The computer-readable-storage medium of claim 11 further comprising one or more processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to:

compare an expected vehicle response with a measured vehicle response to determining a voltage for performing at least one of the hardware component operations.

14. The computer-readable-storage medium of claim 11 further comprising one or more processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to:

convert the various ones of the vehicle commands into at least one compatible hardware component operation that is performed in the industrial vehicle

15. An apparatus for virtualizing industrial vehicles to automate task execution in a physical environment, comprising:

a computer for emulating vehicle hardware component operations, comprising;

an emulation module for determining input parameters for controlling vehicle hardware components, wherein the vehicle hardware components comprise actuators that are used to control hardware component operations, generating mappings between the input parameters and the hardware component operations, wherein each of the input parameters is applied to an actuator to perform an corresponding hardware component operation, correlating the mappings with vehicle commands to produce abstraction information, wherein the vehicle commands are defined in terms of attributes associated with the vehicle hardware components, using the abstraction information to execute at least one task comprising various ones of the vehicle commands.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the emulation module processes sensor array data to determine a voltage profile associated with emulating the hardware component operations.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a task manager for determining a path for executing the at least one task and communicating velocity commands and steering commands for the path to the industrial vehicle, wherein the velocity commands and the steering commands correspond with the industrial vehicle.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the other task manager selects the industrial vehicle based on vehicle capabilities.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the emulation module converts the velocity commands and steering commands into at least one compatible hardware component operation that is performed in the industrial vehicle.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the computer is configured to couple with an industrial vehicle and receive the at least one task from another computer.